                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

ORDINANCES TAXING AND REGULATING &#8220;AUTOMOBILE GRAVEYARDS,&#8221;
&#8220;JUNKYARDS,&#8221; AND CERTAIN VACANT AND ABANDONED PROPERTY (§ 15.2-903)

A. Any locality may adopt ordinances imposing license taxes upon and otherwise
regulating the maintenance and operation of places commonly known as automobile
graveyards and junkyards and may prescribe fines and other punishment for
violations of such ordinances.
			No such ordinance shall be adopted until after notice in accordance with
&#xA7; 15.2-1427 has been published.
			As used in this section the terms &#8220;automobile graveyard&#8221; and
&#8220;junkyard&#8221; have the meanings ascribed to them in &#xA7; 33.2-804.

B. The Counties of Bedford, Campbell, Caroline, Fauquier, Rockbridge,
Shenandoah, Tazewell, Warren and York may adopt an ordinance imposing the
screening of automobile graveyards and junkyards, unless screening is
impractical due to topography, as set forth in &#xA7; 33.2-804. Any such
ordinance may apply to any automobile graveyard or junkyard within the
boundaries of such county regardless of the date on which any such automobile
graveyard or junkyard may have come into existence, notwithstanding the
provisions of &#xA7; 33.2-804.

C. The City of Newport News may adopt an ordinance imposing screening or
landscape screening for retail or commercial properties that have been vacant or
abandoned for more than three years within designated areas consistent with the
city&#8217;s comprehensive plan.

HISTORY: Code 1950, § 15-18; 1956, c. 672; 1958, c. 552; 1962, c. 623, §
15.1-28; 1968, c. 409; 1993, c. 714; 1995, c. 207; 1997, c. 587; 1998, c. 180;
2001, c. 10; 2004, c. 493; 2005, c. 702; 2006, cc. 669, 722; 2024, cc. 225, 242.